Minimal Existence
by XrosaryX
Summary: What was his existence? Why couldn't he obtain it...? He just wanted his very own existence... *Companion story to Little Child Be Mine.*


**I DO NOT OWN IB!**

**_Companion to Little Child Be Mine._**

**_How did the Forgotten Portrait come to be? Why did he save Ib?_**

**_Pardon the odd writing style. I've been experimenting a bit as well as showing the theory I think is behind the Forgotten Portrait or rather Fake Garry. Please enjoy._**

* * *

He was an existence. No name. No identity.

A lingering ghost waiting.

Waiting...For what though?

There were moments he felt something. Something calling him and than it disappeared. He didn't know what called him.

He didn't even know if there were others like him.

He was just there.

An existence yet not an existence. He only lingered between spaces. Did he have a purpose?

What would that purpose be?

"I...Am...Nothing.."

* * *

The space he lingered in was a gallery.

He was envious of the inhabitants. They had a purpose.

They had a presence.

They had an identity.

He wanted that. Even when it seemed they disliked being trapped in their space he eagerly wished that he could replace these ones complaining. What he wouldn't give to have something to call himself!

It drove him mad.

Hearing their whining voices begging to be set free or to have something exciting happen. He would gladly take the place of one of those pathetic artworks and just be satisfied of his place.

He always found himself in the space of where a little girl resided in. It was childish compared to the gallery, but he found himself always in this part of the space.

Why?

It felt as if there was a chance for him.

A chance for something for him.

There were moments he could feel himself on the brink of becoming solid. It was a flash of excitement and than it disappeared as soon as it came.

It didn't take him long to understand what the calling was.

"When the rose wilts, so will you."

His purpose was to replace.

He became eager as he connected exactly what this meant. Now...All he had to do. Was wait. Wait until he could live...

* * *

Waking up there was a moment of confusion.

Why was he on the ground?

How was it he could FEEL the ground underneath him.

He was always floating. Floating on air. To feel something solid was oddly frightening to him suddenly. Slowly he began to lift himself from the floor and looked down.

A pair of pale hands met his sight making him smile. Hands. He had hands.

He studied the slender fingers and watched as he willed himself to move his index fingers and soon all his fingers twitched in unison. Curling them into a fist and uncurling them his smile grew. Touching his face he could feel the smoothness of his cheeks.

He had a face.

He got up, stumbling a bit on his long legs, in the hallways he only saw. "A..." His voice sounded soft, but his grin only grew, "A...Alive...I'm alive! I'M ALIVE!" Laughing he began to run down the corridor, his legs stretching out and his chest breathing in air frantically as he ran.

He was in the gallery.

He was there as an existence.

He was 'alive.'

After a moment he stopped running to lean against the wall.

The smile still on his face and his laughter slowly dying into a giggle. It felt so great to finally have a body.

There was a groan however further into the hall, "...I...b..."

There on the ground was a man.

He stared down and backed away as the man coughed, obviously unaware of his presence. His pale hand clawed the floor and tried to move forward, but his fingers fell. "Hel...Help...Her...I...b..."

The man...

He approached the human being slowly. He looked at the man's hands and than his own. The coat on his body and on the man's body. The similarities of both began to feel his heart with dread.

Copy.

He was a copy of the man.

He was 'alive,' but the appearance wasn't his own.

Not his.

He was a copy.

Not his own.

"...I...b..."

He smirked. "Ib?"

The man twitched and weakly tried to look at him, but let out a cough, "Pl...Please...I...b...Help..."

"Help her?" his grin grew as he knelt by the man, "Well...Maybe I will."

The man twitched, "Be...Beg...Hel...Help...H...Her..."

He flicked the man on the back of the head, "Oh. I'll help her all right."

* * *

The search for 'Ib' was a rather easy task.

'Ib' was a tiny little girl.

"Ib! There you are!" She turned at his voice and her eyes widen as she stood before the glowing large portrait, "G-Garry?"

So that was 'his' name...

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. The exit's over that way." The little girl looked at him with wide red eyes before glancing at the picture again, "Come on. Let's go," he urged her restraining himself from advancing forward. This little girl was important.

He wasn't going to let her go...

He grinned as she extended her hand to him and held it, "Good girl. I knew you were a good kid Ib," he smiled as she looked at him, "Come on. Let's go."

She nodded and clutched the bright red rose in her hand. He noticed that there was a blue rose in her hand, it was only a stem and had one measly blue petal...

"Ib. Is that my rose?" The little girl smiled and nodded holding it up, "I kept it safe. W-We need to find a vase to heal it...Garry are you okay?"

"I'm better than ever Ib. Don't worry okay? Think you can let me hold it now?" She nodded and handed the fragile stem to him. As soon as his fingers touched it, a flash came into his head.

Faces.

Voices.

Names.

Memories...

He held back a laugh as he saw Ib yawn, "Sleepy?" She nodded again, "I'll carry you." Her tiny form was quite light in his arms and soon enough the child closed her eyes as he continued his walk deeper back into the gallery.

As the girl slept he began to muse over the memories he had gained.

A little girl with long curly blonde hair he himself also knew when he was lingering in air...A name...Mary?

The statues chasing 'him' and Ib...

The women in blue chasing him...

A haunting song of 'Loves me...Loves me not...'

Sadly these were no his memories...

His hands clutched Ib tighter as he climbed the steps up to a hallway he felt familiar with when he was only lingering in the space. This child...She was precious to that man.

He smiled, "well...I'll just have to make sure his wish won't come true."

* * *

When Garry woke up, his eye sight was in a hazy.

It was like fog had surrounded him. He weakly tried to move forward, but cried out in pain as something dug into his arms.

"Finally awake?" He must be on the verge of passing out, he could have sworn-"You just heard yourself...Well...Not quite." The man lifted his head and his eyes widen, "N-No..."

"And the Sleeping Beauty finally awakens," the doppelganger laughed as he leaned on a door, "I was getting worried...Garry." Garry weakly let out a cough as he looked around the room briefly.

A dark purple blue hue...Dark green vines with sharp thorns. The scent of roses clung in the air so heavily he gagged a few times while trying to take a few breaths in. "W...Who..."

"Who am I? Well. I'm suppose to be you," the man sighed as he raked a hand through his hair and scowled, "Suppose...To replace you. But you're too stubborn to die." Garry watched as the man held up a familiar stem and bent it.

A sharp pain burst through his chest and he screamed.

The other laughed at his pain and fell down to the floor as he rested his head back, "Ah...Garry, Garry. Why can't you die? What makes you so stubborn to not let go. No matter how many times I try to pull this last petal it won't come off." Garry gasped and fell onto his knees as he felt his heart on the verge of explosion as the man before him tug on what was considered to be the last petal of his life, "STOP! OH GOD! IT HURTS!"

Laughter and the vines tightened their hold on his body as he bent forward gasping, "...What...The hell...Do..You want!" he managed to scream as the man stood up, "I can't die! I won't!"

"I know."

He stopped and glared at the man, "What?"

"I. Know," his copy laughed, "It's all for Ib right? You can't let yourself die until she dies or leaves here right?"

Garry felt his body turn cold with dread, "I'm keeping her here! I'm not going to let her go! I want you to see you beg! I want to make you suffer! Suffer like I have! I was suppose to be my own existence, but you...YOU ALIVE MAKES IT UNFAIR! I'M JUST YOUR CLONE!"

Enraged snarls escaped his mouth and Garry watched in horror as a laugh formed again, "So...So I'll keep your precious little Ib here! You clung to wanting her to leave this dark place, it's your fault Garry~! It's your fault now she's here for life!"

"NO! IF YOU WANT TO REPLACE ME SO BAD KILL ME! KILL ME AND LET HER GO!" Garry screamed startled at his new found strength in his weakened state, "LET ME DIE! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

There was a pause and Garry saw the man twitch his hand that held his rose and a chuckle, "Not...Going...To happen. Scream. Beg. Oh please do Garry. I just want you to linger on the planes of death and life like I did. Long for a wish that will take years to come true." Garry shook his head slowly as the man opened the door, "Understand what it feels to be forgotten Garry."

"Where are you going you coward!" Garry roared as he tried to pry free from the thorny vines that continued to have a hold on him, "GET BACK HERE!"

"I'm sorry," the man giggled as he stood in the open door, "I...Have things to do. I'll be back though Garry." The door slammed shut and soon the room was filled with Garry's screams.

* * *

_**Horrible theory? Bad ending? Hope it was good for your expectations. Thank you for reading.**_


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